


Just Howl All Night Long

by Why_so_drama



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: 2016-2017 NHL Season, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M, Magical Realism, Still Hockey Players
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-06 19:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16393856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Why_so_drama/pseuds/Why_so_drama
Summary: It’s always been said that Pittsburgh’s hockey team is a little bit different than all the others. The feel of the arena is open and welcoming to new guys, the staff is friendly, the coaches are always willing to work with the players and give advice that helps them improve. The players respect each other and work together to achieve that ultimate goal. These are the aspects of the organization that are noticed by outsiders, the things about it that people think are what make the Penguins different. The thing is, these elements just scratch the surface. The aspect that really makes Pittsburgh different as a hockey organization is the fact that they have the highest amount of shifters on the roster in history, and that they have two pack alphas.





	Just Howl All Night Long

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eafay70](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/gifts).



> Title belongs to Empires’ _All Night Long_.
> 
> This is for Eafay70. I’m sorry I didn’t use any of your specific prompts, but I hope you like it anyway! It was inspired by your request for shifters and magical realism, but mostly by this [tumblr post](http://dickless-mic.tumblr.com/post/170229105910/crockpotcauldron-boring-old-werewolf).
> 
>  It has been affectionately reffered to as “failwolves” since its conception.

It’s always been said that Pittsburgh’s hockey team is a little bit different than all the others. The feel of the arena is open and welcoming to new guys, the staff is friendly, the coaches are always willing to work with the players and give advice that helps them improve. The players respect each other and work together to achieve that ultimate goal. These are the aspects of the organization that are noticed by outsiders, the things about it that people think are what make the Penguins different. The thing is, those elements just scratch the surface. The aspect that really makes Pittsburgh different as a hockey organization is the fact that they have the highest amount of shifters on the roster in history, and that they have two pack alphas.

When Sid had first come to Pittsburgh, after being drafted first overall and invited to live in Mario Lemieux’s _house_ , he knew that he was their choice to take over the pack. They’d drafted another alpha, Evgeni Malkin, the year before, but he seemed to be staying in Russia and he couldn’t be counted on to take over when Mario finally retired “for real this time”. That left Sid, with his shiny new “C”, and a rowdy hockey team that was about seventy-five percent wolves, to take over the position. 

But then Malkin had come, in the most dramatic fashion Sid has ever heard. The Penguins were left with two alphas and no idea what to do with either of them. The first time Sid had met Malkin, he had barely known any English but Sid had no doubt that he was just as capable an alpha as himself. “It’s great to meet you,” Sid tells him. 

“Yes,” Malkin had agreed. “Please to meet.” 

They’d barely said anything else to each other, but the tension between them had been palpable. They hadn’t fought or anything like that, but Sid had been aware of Malkin’s location through the entire meal, and Malkin had made sure that no one would forget that he was just as much an alpha as Sid, and as Mario.

He grips Sid’s hand tightly when he leaves with his agent and the Gonchars, growls something at him in Russian that Sid doesn’t understand. He’s left wondering what they’re going to do with one another the whole night. 

Sid had gone to morning skate full of trepidation. As it turned out, he hadn’t needed to. Malkin was nothing like the moody, quiet alpha he’d met the night before. He was standing in a group with Gonchar and a few of the other younger guys, laughing with them, using his size to be more playful instead of intimidating. 

When he looked over to see Sid watching him, he smiled wide and opened his posture up invitingly. Sid skated over, knowing that he needed to be friendly with Malkin, at the very least, only to have his hair ruffled roughly, and for Malkin to get up in his face. “Sid,” he said happily. “Hockey.” 

“Yeah, hockey,” Sid replied. 

That first day together, that miniscule conversation between two alphas, had been the beginnings of a friendship that had truly defied the odds. With all of the newspaper and beat journal articles focusing on how badly two alphas would get along, how Pittsburgh would never win with two warring sides within their organization, they failed to ask the question: are Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin getting along? The answer was a resounding _yes_. The only problem was that Sid wanted to be getting long better. The problem was that Sid wanted them to be getting along on dates, and in bed. 

***

It’s 2017, the year after Sid had won his second cup with Geno, and they’ve just clinched the playoffs, again. Sid is elated. His first year on the team, they hadn’t made it, but they’d done it the next year, and every year after that. They’ve got another chance to go all the way, and even though Sid doesn’t want to jinx it, he can’t help but imagine raising the cup above his head again. Sid knows that they can do it, he feels it in his bones. He’s not going to say it out loud, though.

He grins over at Tanger, who is bouncing around the dressing room in wolf form, and then approaches Geno, standing naked with another group of their guys who seem enthralled with whatever story he’s telling. 

“And I’m get home for nap, and just like, want to sleep, you know? But housekeeper has vacuum out, and I hate fucking vacuum! Can’t sleep if vacuum is out,” he complains. “Why don’t she just vacuum when I am at rink? Is stupid, fucking vacuum.”

“You need to get a roomba, G,” Sid tells him, sliding in beside him. “That’s what we have and it’s fine.” 

“Still know is vacuum, Sid,” Geno replies seriously. “Still hate.”

“It’s less terrible, I promise. Are you coming out tonight? Tanger and Flower are in, and some of the other guys. I know you hate going home alone…” 

“Yes, I come. Have to celebrate, yes?” Geno says, grinning. 

“Yeah, but remember-”

“We still have games to play, and we don’t wanna lose our edge,” Flower and Tanger chime in together, Tanger back as his human self, imitating Sid’s tone. 

“Oh fuck off,” Sid replies. “This is important.” Flower comes over and ruffles his hair and he nips playfully at his hands. It’s then that he realises that he’s still standing next to a very naked Geno, and flushes. It shouldn’t feel weird, and it wouldn’t if Sid didn’t have this ridiculous crush, but it makes Sid step back and retreat with a hasty, “see you at the pub, then!”

He piles into Tanger’s car with Flower. They pretty much go everywhere together on account of living in the same place. The other guys call it the _French Canadian Den_ , of which Sid is an honorary member. Duper also lived with them before he’d retired. 

Sid loves it. There is always someone to hang out with and do things with, there are pups crawling around everywhere, and the chaos that living with so many people creates is full of love and family. He wouldn’t want to live any other way, unless he wasn’t a wolf.

It’s not good for werewolves to live alone or to be alone, so every shifter on the team lives with others. Pack is key for wolves, and one that lives alone has a sad existence indeed. Geno lived with Gonch and his family for a while, but has since moved in with the Swedes, their families, and Phil. There are a few other dens as well, one for mostly American players, one for the other Canadians and what has been deemed a “rookie” den even though most of the guys living there aren’t even rookies anymore. They’ve basically taken over an entire apartment building. Guys that have short term contracts and WBS call ups usually stay there as well. Geno had gone to a party there once a couple of years ago, and he’d said it was the scariest thing he’d ever experienced.

There had been a ton of bullshit articles at first, stating that Sid and Geno couldn’t possible be getting along since they weren’t even sharing a den, but it would have been weirder if they had been. Sid had lived with Mario for a few years but as his alpha protege. He’s never heard of alphas of a similar age living under the same roof, which is why he’s never even considered telling Geno how he feels. Alphas can’t date each other, everyone knows that.

They end up getting to the pub a bit later than planned because Flower had spotted a squirrel while they’d been driving and they’d all had to get out of the car and chase it until it disappeared into a canopy of tree branches. Sid slides into the booth next to Geno and immediately steals a bite of his deep fried pickle. He makes a face and spits the offending food out in his napkin, hoping Geno won’t notice.

No such luck. “Sid, you know you not like pickle, so why you try again?” Geno teases. 

“I wanted to make sure,” Sid states sullenly. Just because he’d tried one the last time they’d gone out together doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like them now. Except he still doesn’t, so there’s that. “Besides, Olli is trying everyone’s food, so-”

There’s suddenly a chorus of yells and cheers coming from the other end of the table as Dumo tries to fight Olli off of his food. It’s hard not to join in, laughing and howling, until Dumo gets a grinning Olli down onto the ground and then springs up to rescue his meal. It’s a good thing that they come to this pub a lot, and that they’re used to a werewolf pack coming in. They always put the team in a separate room, away from the other customers because of their penchant for getting rowdy after a game. 

Things settle down again when the server comes in for their orders. Sid gets himself a beer and a meal, and then leans on Geno’s shoulder heavily. 

“You getting old,” Geno teases before ruffling his hair just like he had that first skate, and just like he has every day they’ve been together since then.

“I bet he’s not tired at all, the flirt,” Sid hears Tanger mutter under his breath. He glances up quickly to make sure that Geno hasn’t heard, but he’s busy talking to Phil, who’s looking grumpy on his other side. 

“Tanger, shut up,” Sid hisses. It’s been eleven years, and it seems like Sid has managed to keep his weird crush to himself so far. He doesn’t need Tanger blowing his cover and ruining everything. Geno can’t know about this. If he finds out, he might not want to hang out anymore. He might request a trade and Sid will only see him twice a year. Or worse, he might go back to Russia permanently and never talk to Sid again. Even though Sid wants more than what he has now, he can’t risk losing Geno, so he’s never going to say anything about this. 

Thankfully, Tanger does shut up, and Sid is able to get back to his evening. He shares his plate of nachos with Geno and the rest of the guys surrounding him and, in turn, steals bites off of their plates. Eventually, the married guys start to file out, and Sid finds himself yawning as he watches Olli and Dumo continue to mess around. They’re really lucky that this pub likes them, otherwise, the D corps would have gotten them kicked out long before Olli Maatta started playing for the team. In fact, these guys are tame compared to some that have played with them in the past.

Sid looks over to Tanger and Flower, who are also yawning, and suggests, “home before we fall asleep on this table?” It’s happened before. Wolves have a penchant for being able to sleep anywhere, at anytime. He’s pretty sure he’d seen Rusty taking a nap on the bench between drills last week during practice. Flower nods and the three of them stand up. 

It takes a while to actually leave, because the rest of the pack give them mournful looks and insist on long hugs goodbye. Geno comes up to Sid last and drags him in for the longest one, murmuring, “good dream, Sid. See you at skate,” against his temple. The hug warms Sid all the way down to his toes and, as always, he commits what it feels like to be held by Geno to memory. If he dreams of this, of Geno holding him so wonderfully, he will have good dreams indeed. 

Geno ruffles his hair before letting him go, and then Sid has to give another round of hugs to Jake, Conor, and Olli, and finally, they’re able to pay their bills and leave. Sid feels bereft without Geno sitting beside him, thighs pressed together, bodies jostling each other’s as they laugh, but it’s something he’s gotten used to by now. It’s been eleven years, and Sid knows that Geno will never be more to him than a good friend. He knows it in his head, but sometimes, on nights like this, knowing that still breaks his heart.

He checks his phone once more when he climbs into bed, before setting it to charge, and sees that Geno’s messaged him. _Home okay?_

_Yeah, in bed now,_ Sid replies. 

_Sweet sleep_ , comes Geno’s reply, and it makes Sid grin. He doesn’t know how many times he’s told Geno that it’s ‘sweet dreams’ but he still gets it wrong. It doesn’t actually matter, and Sid kind of thinks it’s unbearably cute. 

_You too_ Sid sends.

He plugs his phone in and turns off his light so that he can go to sleep. When he wakes up the next morning, it’s to a series of _))))))_ from Geno.

***

After that, they all get really busy. It’s the second year in a row that they’re in the running for the cup, and all of their attention has to be on hockey. Tanger is out, and miserable about it all the time. Sid gets it. He’s been there more times than he’d like to think about, but Tanger is whining to anyone who will listen. It’s bad for wolves to be away from the pack, and with the rest of them travelling for games, Tanger is separated from them a lot. Luckily, he still has Cath and Alex at home to keep him company, as well as Vero, and Flower’s brood.

Sid is determined to keep his focus, even though Tanger is calling him five times a day to check in. He doesn’t go out unless it’s for team dinner, he preserves his body by skipping optional skates, and works hard in practice. He has one focus: the Stanley Cup, and nothing else will get in his way.

Except… Geno is around a lot. He comes to Sid’s room most evenings, and shows up at the French Canadian Den every time they have a few spare hours. He’s around Geno every day at the rink, but this, being around Geno so much more than he’s used to, having Geno in his hotel room, having Geno in his kitchen when he wakes up in the morning- it’s making his crush so much worse.

They’re in a hotel in Ottawa, preparing for game six against the Senators, when there’s a knock at Sid’s door. He considers pretending he’s not there because he’s not sure his heart can take another evening of Geno looking soft and cuddly, especially since this time, his room is a single. The problem is that Geno has to know he’s here; all werewolves have an excellent sense of smell. Sid takes longer than he should to answer the door, but Geno doesn’t look perturbed or impatient. He’s just standing there, smiling, before he moves past Sid into the room.

“Can’t relax,” he complains, “want to watch movie?” 

“Not Transformers,” Sid complains, sitting back on the bed and reaching for the remote. 

“Is good movie!” Geno shoots back. “But we can watch what you want,” he adds hastily, like he’s afraid Sid will make him leave. Sid has no intention of ever asking him to be anywhere but by his side. 

They settle on the bed together, not quite touching but close enough that they could if they wanted to. All things considered, Sid is positive that they will end up cuddling midway through. Wolves are notoriously bad at keeping their hands to themselves and Geno may be the worst of all. It seems like he’s always got his arm around Sid, or their thighs are pressed together, or Geno is initiating a cuddle pile. At first, Sid had thought it was a challenge to him being an alpha, but he’s come to learn that Geno is just like that, especially with him.

Since Sid had been watching reruns of Game of Thrones, he just plays it again, and tries not to pay attention to Geno lying in the bed right beside him. 

It’s not easy. Even though they’re not talking, Sid is attuned to everything about Geno. He can hear Geno breathing, feels every shift of his body as they both watch the show. He’s paying so much attention to his own body, making sure that he doesn’t move even an inch because he’s not sure he can handle it if they’re touching in a bed that he doesn’t even know what’s happening in the show. It’s a good thing he’s seen this all before, because when Geno moves close enough to touch, Sid nearly jumps out of the bed in shock.

“Sid, so tense,” Geno murmurs, sounding sleepy. “You want I massage you?” 

“No,” Sid squeaks. “I’m fine, I promise. I was just- uh- I’m really into this part.” He turns back to the tv and sees that, of course, it’s the scene where Ser Loras is shaving Renly right before going down on him. It’s just his luck that not only is it a sex scene, it’s one between two men.

Geno laughs at him, which somehow has him moving closer. “You want I leave you alone? Since you so into this part?” 

“Fuck off,” Sid replies. “I meant the part before.” 

“Sure, you just want to see these boys fuck,” Geno teases. “They uh… what is word for small, uh- yes, twink! They very twink.” 

“I’m getting a drink,” Sid states, crawling out of Geno’s arms and crouching in front of the mini fridge to get a bottle of water. “Do you want any-” He doesn’t finish his sentence because Geno is right there with his thighs spread wide and his knees bent over the side of the bed. Sid’s eyes flash down before he forces himself to look up only to see Geno lick his lips. It’s the singular hottest thing he’s ever seen and it’s not like he’s a virgin or anything. Just, Geno is hotter than any sex he’s ever had.

“Uh-” Sid fumbles, looking away. “Water?” He offers. 

“You thirsty, Sid?” Geno responds, wide grin stretched across his face. It’s like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Sid feels himself flushing a deep red, but he doesn’t dignify that with a response, just takes the excuse to shove his face back into the mini fridge. He takes an extra long time, which is weird since all he’s doing is getting water, and when he closes the fridge door, Geno is back on the bed, legs stretched out in front of him. 

“Here,” Sid says as he hands the bottle to Geno. He walks around to the other side of the bed and climbs back in. Thankfully, the show is past that scene, so Sid doesn’t have to think about how close his face was to Geno’s dick just a minute ago. He strongly considers shifting, but he thinks that might give him away even further. 

Instead, he focuses his attention on Game of Thrones and cracks open his water, determined not to look at Geno until this awkwardness has passed. 

Two episodes later though, Geno’s got Sid wrapped up in his arms and they’re both talking about the game tomorrow and what they need to do to win. Game of Thrones and the blow job scene are long forgotten as they discuss plays, ways around Karlsson and the rest of the Sens defense, and powerplay plans. The more they talk, the more convinced Sid is that they can do this. 

He finds himself yawning more and more, but Geno’s arms feel so nice around him that he doesn’t want to make him leave. Instead of saying anything more about hockey, Sid just burrows his head into Geno’s chest and murmurs goodnight. He figures Geno will leave on his own, like he always does, and doesn’t worry too much about having to wake up beside him. 

***

Geno is still there the next morning, snoring into Sid’s ear and drooling on Sid’s spare pillow. “Shit,” Sid curses. “Geno, G, what are you still doing here?” He asks. 

Geno blinks up at him, looking confused. “Sid? What you do in my bed?” 

“This is my bed. Why didn’t you go back to your own room last night?” 

“I fall asleep,” Geno replies. “Can go now. Is okay, just mistake,” geno explains with a shrug. “Guys do all the time.” 

It’s true, especially for the guys on the team that are wolves. Olli is almost always in someone else’s bed, just because he likes the sense of community, especially on the road. It’s not strange for guys to crash together, but it is strange for two alphas to do it, and especially strange for Sid and Geno. 

Geno is already getting out of the bed and stretching. “See you at breakfast, okay?” 

All Sid can do is nod and watch him go, before he lets out a deep breath. He feels off kilter, which he needs to shake off before the game, and he also feels a little disappointed. All through last night, Geno had been calm and casual, and even this morning, he’d acted like sleeping next to each other had been nothing. That means that Geno must not be interested. He acted like everything between last night and that morning had been nothing while Sid had been internally freaking out the entire time. It must mean that Geno doesn’t want him the same way, and who could blame him? Two alphas together is basically unheard of. They’re lucky enough that they get along so well. It’s stupid to want more.

***

They lose in Ottawa and return to Pittsburgh knowing that the next game is do or die. During the bus ride, Geno agrees when Sid says that they can’t fall asleep together again, because it’s clearly bad luck. Sid isn’t sure if Geno actually agrees, or if he’s just humouring him, because he smiles at him fondly, ruffles his hair, and then nods. He knows that Geno is just as superstitious as he is, if not more, so Sid just takes it as a win.

During the break between games six and seven, Sid sticks around the French Canadian Den. He hangs out with Flower, Tanger, Cath and Vero, watches the kids toddle around the place, and generally just tries to relax. They’re going into game seven on home ice, which is a small comfort, but not a guarantee that they’ll be able to pull it off. He would be avoiding Geno, but he figures that Geno is doing the exact same thing back in his den, so Sid doesn’t have to.

Finally, they’re warming up before the game, and all Sid can do is focus on the next sixty minutes of play time. 

It ends up being much more than that. After double overtime and a beauty of a goal by Kuni, they’re all celebrating on the ice, screaming in each other’s faces, because for the second year in a row they’re going to the Stanley Cup Finals. By the time they get to the dressing room, half the guys are in wolf form with their equipment strewn everywhere from the ice to the room.

Sid spares a second to really appreciate everything that Dana does for them before stripping off his own gear and joining in the party. He gets caught up in everything, and finds his wolf self in Geno’s lap, nuzzling against his neck happily. Dumo has some beats pounding through the speakers, and he, Olli, Justin and a few other guys are dancing ridiculously around the logo on the floor like some kind of ritual. 

Since he’s in his wolf form, he can’t say anything, but Geno seems to read his mind. “Everyone come for beers at den, we have little celebration tonight,” he says and Sid licks his cheek. It’s the perfect idea. They want to party because they’d just won, but it should be a low key celebration because there are still at least four games to go. Sid wriggles off of Geno’s lap and back onto the floor so he can shower and get dressed before they head out to the European Den. 

He’s one of the last ones out, and finds Geno still waiting for him. “You’re still here,” he says.

“Hags and Horny go ahead, say goodnight to babies, let rookies into basement,” he explains. “I know you hate drive alone.” 

Sid does hate driving alone, but then, most wolves hate doing anything alone. Army chirps him constantly for dragging him to the mall all the time back in the day, but Sid knows how much he’d hated going anywhere by himself too. It’s natural for them to want to do everything with friends. “Thanks for waiting,” he says as they head out to his car together.

Geno insists on loud thumping music all the way to the den. Sid is content to sit back and listen- they are celebrating after all- even though it’s a little too loud for his tastes. When they get to the den, Sid is handed a beer by Horny, who flicks his gaze to Geno. Sid barely notices, but Geno shakes his head quickly and then a look of disappointment falls over Horny’s face. Sid has no idea what it’s about; they’d just won, but he resolves to ask later. Right now it’s time for team bonding, for pack bonding. Disappointment has no place here. 

Things get a little wild, and Sid finds beer after beer pressed into his hands. He ends up tipsy, sprawled on the couch with his head in Geno’s lap and his feet tucked under Flower’s thigh. He keeps getting in trouble for talking about hockey, so he’s just being quiet and listening to Geno and Flower chirp the rookies instead. He presses his head into Geno’s hand when Geno starts to run his fingers through his hair and murmurs, “I should go home.” 

“Stay,” Gemo offers instead. “Lots of room here. Olli’s already asleep, you won’t be only one.” 

“But bad luck…” Sid responds. “Last time I stayed, we lost.” 

He doesn’t have to look over to see Flower’s eyebrows shoot up. He hadn’t told anyone about sleeping beside Geno the night before game six in Ottawa. It’s not like it had meant anything, and besides, it was nobody’s business.

“Series over, not bad luck anymore,” Geno assures him, but Sid is pretty sure he’s wrong.

“That’s not how luck works, G…” 

“We make new luck when I’m come to team, we make new luck now.”

Even as they’re talking, more of the younger guys are stripping, transforming, and curling up around where Olli has already fallen asleep. After playing almost five periods of hockey, adrenaline can only take you so far. “I guess since all the single guys seem to be staying…” Sid replies. 

“Good, I want some time alone with my wife,” Flower tells him and Sid flushes. It’s a well known fact that Sid is almost constantly walking in on his housemates. “Besides, I don’t want to have to put your drunk ass to bed.” 

“I’m not drunk,” Sid replies, petulant. 

“Sure,” Flower says before standing up to go find Tanger so that they can head home together.

Sid looks back up at Geno once he leaves, and asks, “so, are we staying here with the other guys?” He’s pretty comfy; Geno’s thigh makes a good pillow but he doubts that Geno will be able to sleep this way. 

“No, my bed is better for Captain, sleep nice. Much better than floor.” 

“Are you sure?” Sid persists. He certainly wants to sleep beside Geno again, but he doesn’t think that it’s the best idea. He’s not sure his heart can take it if all it ends up being is sleeping.

“I’m sure. We sleep in my bed, make new luck for next round.”

And that’s how Sid ends up in Geno’s giant bed after celebrating their conference finals win. They start out the night with a respectable amount of space between them, but by the time Sid wakes up in the morning, Geno is spooned up behind him, breath hot on Sid’s neck. Sid goes rigid immediately. He has no idea how to deal with something like this, especially not when it comes to Geno. Amongst packmates, this should be normal but not between two alphas. Geno being an alpha is something that Sid has never been able to forget. 

“Sid?” Geno murmurs before tightening his hold. “Go back to sleep,” he urges but Sid can’t. 

“G, I’m just gonna head home, okay?” Sid says quietly as he starts to disentangle himself from Geno’s arms. He hears Geno growl, a sleepy thing that comes from deep in his chest, and Sid shrugs his arms off. “Relax, I’ll see you at practice.” 

From there, he grabs all his stuff, books an uber, and gets as far away from Geno’s arms and Geno’s bed as he can.

***

Sid avoids being alone with Geno as much as he can through most of the series against the Predators. They take game one and two at home, but there’s no time to celebrate. This is the Stanley Cup Finals, and Sid wants to lift that cup over his head again this year. Everyone on the team seems to share the same opinion, and though they all hang out as a pack and as a team, things stay calm so that they can all keep focus. 

They drop the next two in Nashville, but then win again with a shut out on home ice. The series is 3-2 in their favour and they’re so close that Sid can _taste_ it. He’s in his hotel room, uncommonly alone, the night before game six in Nashville. He knows that everyone has their own things that they need in order to prepare for such a big game. Sid doesn’t always do the same thing, contrary to popular belief. He’s been known to join the rookie wolves in their puppy pile, been known to just hang out with Flower and Tanger in a more relaxed environment, and has insisted on team bonding. This time though, he’s sitting in his room alone, trying to keep focus on what may be the most important game of their lives. No one wants this to go to a game seven, least of all Sid. 

He’s zoned out to some movie with a lot of explosions on screen when there’s a knock at his door. Before even thinking about it, or trying to smell who it is, he opens it up to reveal Geno, looking shy and soft, but somehow still determined. 

Sid’s heart skips a beat- Geno looks so good- but he ignores it, asks instead, “do you need something, G?”

Geno nods, raises his head to meet Sid’s eyes and his are glowing warm amber, like he’s about to shift any second. “Yes, need come in, for talk,” he chokes out. 

Something has to be wrong. Geno never acts like this; he’s never been able to hide his emotions, whether they be joy, anger, disappointment, or anything else. Sid can’t imagine why he’s shown up, but his brain goes to the worst case scenario: Geno is injured and he’s not going to be able to play for them. 

Sid takes a deep breath and moves aside to let Geno in. His eyes dim a little as he sits on the bed and spreads his legs. Sid makes his way over and sits down beside Geno carefully. If he is injured, Sid doesn’t want to do anything to aggravate that. “What is it? You can tell me, G.”

Geno looks over at him, Sid notices that his eyes still have a slight glow to them, and he wonders why. Geno must be experiencing a strong emotion, if Sid can read his wanting to shift so clearly on his face. He reaches forward, grabs Geno’s hands, and says, “just tell me.”

“Is hard,” Geno says after a long pause. “I- Sid-” he takes a deep breath and then finally continues. “Sometimes, I’m think you want. You look at me and I’m think you want. And I want, I want so much, but you leave before I’m even wake up, and then stay away and then I’m think maybe you not want. But then guys say you look at me and have hearts for eyes and I- I have to tell you I’m want, want you, want kissing and sex and spend summer together and I cannot wait anymore to say.” 

Sid’s eyes must be comically wide as he stares at Geno during his admission. It can’t be true. Two alphas can’t be together, they’d fight too much, try to one up each other and undermine each other’s authority. But- Geno’s never done that. He’s never complained about Sid being captain over him, to the point that he’s actually defended Sid against the other guys that were calling for his demotion. Geno has never said or done anything to make Sid look weak, to make him look incapable of running this pack. In fact, he’s been at Sid’s side the entire time. 

But still, “two alphas, G. How’s that gonna work?” 

“You want too?” Geno asks, as if Sid hasn’t been the most obvious about it these past years. 

“Of course I do. I’ve- I want you. I have wanted you but-”

“You think because both alpha we can’t work? Sid, we so dumb,” Geno says with a laugh. “Canadian and American think that two alpha always fight, that they not work together, but in Russia, and other country in Europe, two alpha together lots. They take care of pack, take care of each other, and is good. Both lead, both make decision, and we lead together for many years now. How you think we not work as more than teammate?” 

“Two alphas?” Sid asks weakly with disbelief. “It… works?” 

“Not just work, is _best_. Best for pack, have two leader.”

Sid feels like the stupidest person on the planet, listening to Geno talk about how often two alphas work together. They’ve been pitted against each other since the beginning, by fans, by the media, by anyone who has someone that will listen. Sid hadn’t even realised that somehow he’d bought in to the idea. Of course, he knew that he and Geno did well together with the pack and the team, but he’d always believed that the friendship and partnership they shared was already stretching the limits of what their relationship should be. 

He’s never been one to let other people define who he is and what he’s capable of, but in this situation, that’s exactly what he’s done. “How long?” Sid asks. 

“Since we win first cup. Before, think you dorky kid,” Geno admits, fully serious. “But you stay away, so I’m think you not want. I move on.” 

“I did, I did want you, G,” Sid insists. 

“Sometimes you flirt, and I’m think maybe-”

“Oh my god, Flower and Tanger tease me about it all the time,” he says, squeezing Geno’s hands gently. Happiness is bubbling up inside him. He feels like laughing, like running miles and miles in the wooded area near his house in Pittsburgh, with Geno by his side. He feels like jumping for joy. Geno wants him back, and seems to think that they can make this work together. 

“Sid, please, we try? We both want, and-”

Instead of responding, Sid just surges forward and captures Geno’s lips with his own. The moment it happens, Geno lets out a guttural growl and takes control. Sid soon finds himself on his back with Geno hovering over him, kissing, and kissing, and kissing him. Sid is breathless, he’s elated, and he really cannot get enough. “Geno, please-” he breathes. He doesn’t even know what he’s asking, but he knows that he _wants_ and has wanted for a long damn time. 

“What? Have to tell me Sid,” Geno says, breathless, as he pulls away. 

“Just, kiss me, touch me, please,” Sid begs, arching up against Geno’s body and trying to take what he wants. 

Geno whines a little, then dips his head down to kiss Sid again. They make out for ages, kissing, nipping, and touching everywhere their hands can reach. Sid is dizzy with pleasure; his jaw aches in the best way possible. When Geno gets his hands into Sid’s trackies, Sid does his best to help Geno get him out of them, and then gets Geno out of his as well. “We can’t- no sex,” Sid breathes. “Game tomorrow.”

“Yes, but can do this,” Geno says as he wraps his giant hand around both of their cocks and starts jerking them off. “Good?” 

“Yesssss,” Sid hisses. 

He arches into Geno’s hand, close to release now that he knows this is a possibility. They kiss again, open mouthed and demanding, but not in a way that indicates some sort of competition with each other. Geno’s hand on him feels like heaven and he’s having a hard time not regretting having never talked to Geno about this before now.

He stops regretting it pretty quickly though, because Geno bites down on his lower lip and groans as he splashes over Sid’s stomach. “Sid,” he whines, “Sid-”

Sid kisses him again, desperate for it now that Geno has come. He arches up into Geno again, and whimpers when Geno climbs further on top of him. Feeling Geno’s bulk surrounding him like this is enough to get him there, and the heat pooling in his belly suddenly bursts open and washes his whole body in pleasure. “G- oh god-”

He clamps his eyes shut and lets himself fully experience the feeling of Geno getting him off. It’s- it’s really incredible, how good Geno has made him feel. He’d barely done anything, and it’s already easily in Sid’s top ten sexual encounters. It’s probably because he’s desperately in love with Geno and it seems like he feels the same for Sid. He can barely believe it, except Geno is right here, barely supporting himself above Sid. 

Sid just pulls him down on top of himself and wraps both arms and legs around him. “So we’re gonna try this?” He asks. 

“Yes,” Geno replies, chuckling. Sid presses his head up as Geno dips down to drop a kiss on his forehead. 

“Okay, but you can’t stay over. It’s bad luck,” Sid tells him earnestly. He hates that it has to be a rule, but he can’t risk it. 

“Sid!” Geno responds, both looking and sounding absolutely betrayed. “I don’t want leave.” 

“We can try it again next season, but you can’t stay tonight,” Sid insists. He presses a soft kiss against Geno’s shoulder because he can, and then starts to wriggle out from beneath him. “But, you can take a shower with me before you go,” he offers as a compromise before wriggling out from beneath him. 

Geno follows him so quickly that Sid can’t help but giggle.

***

Sid screams with happiness when he lifts the cup above his head after a grueling game. He looks over at his team, his guys, his pack, and lets out a howl. The answering howl resonates all the way up to the rafters. Sid passes the cup to Hainsey, because he fucking deserves it, and then dives into Geno’s arms. He looks up at him and grins. “I’m really glad you didn’t spend the night last night,” he says. 

“I’m stay tonight, though,” Geno states. 

“Yeah. And maybe like, lots of nights from now on,” Sid adds hopefully. 

“I’m like,” Geno responds, nodding. “I’m like a lot.” 

“Yeah, I thought you would,” Sid tells him, tone flirty, before dragging him in for a kiss in front of their team, their fans, and the entire Nashville arena. Let the press write about how well they’re getting along now, he thinks; he doesn’t care what they’ll say, because he has Geno.

He kisses Geno once more, and then separates himself to jump into the pile the pack is already making around each other. He’s too elated to calm down right now, and he shouldn’t have to. They’ve just won back to back cups after back to back shutouts. They’ve proved everyone wrong, and they get to spend the summer with Stanley all over again. 

It’s not just that though. Sid and Geno have finally, _finally_ talked to each other, and Sid thinks that this could really work. He’d been thinking about it over the course of the day, and he knows that he and Geno will get along wonderfully. He doesn’t know why he hadn’t seen it before, doesn’t know why he’d believed so strongly that they couldn’t work together. They’ve been working as a team for eleven years, and now it’s time for them to find out how they fit together in a different, much more exciting way.

Sid is looking forward to the summer and spending more time with Geno. He’s looking forward to meeting his parents in a different capacity, to taking long walks together, to training together and strengthening their pack bond. He’s looking forward to seeing how good they are together, starting with tonight. 

He can’t wait for any of those things to happen, but right now, with the cup on the ice with them, and Geno’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, Sid doesn’t think he could be any happier. He kisses Geno one last time on the Nashville ice before they all head to the locker room for more shenanigans, with Geno holding his hand the entire way down the tunnel. Sid doesn’t think that he can be happier than he is in this moment, but he’s more than willing to be proven wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
